Cake-former.



N. W. L. BROWN.

CAKE FORMER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.29, 1912.

1,049,336. Patented Jan.7,1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

6 Hop ng COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH 420.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

N. W. L. BROWN.

CAKE FORMER. 7 APPLICATION FILED FEB.29,1912.

1,049,336, Patented Jan. 7, 1913.

3SHEETSSHEET 2.

ILL]

mvemtoz attorney COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

N. W. L. BROWN.

OA'KE FORMER.

APPLIOATION FILED 23319, 1912.

1,049,336. I Patented Jan. 7, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SEEET 3.

/Z 5/ 42 f 4/7 37 E 5 avwewboz afto'meq COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co,WASHINGTON, l). k.

nnrrnn STATES PATENT onn on.

NIIVIROD W. I. BROWN, OF MARIETTA, GEORGIA.

CAKE-FORMER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1913.

Application filed February 29, 1912. Serial No. 680,660.

' machine for shaping or forming and partly compressing oleaginous seedsinto a cake of proper proportions to be placed in a hydraulic press ofany known type, to extract the oil from the seeds.

In the best known cake forming machines of the present day, a verticalsteam cylinder mounted on a base and containing a piston, has secured onthe upper end of the piston a pressing box having but two sides overwhich, when lowered, there passes a slide having a through opening inone end designed to contain a charge of seeds or meats to be dischargedat the end of its forward movement into the pressing box and thenreturns to be again filled. As soon as the slide has been fullywithdrawn from above the pressing box, the latter is raised, byadmitting steam into the cylinder below the piston, to cooperate with afixed head which enters the pressing box near the end of its upwardmovement and compresses the meats to the desired extent. A long presscloth is placed in the pressing box before receiving the charge of meatsto be pressed, the ends of which are folded over the material to inclosethe same.

A serious defect in the above described and other like forms of cakeforming machines is the excessive distance traveled by the pressing boxfrom its charging position to the compressing head or abutment, due tothe necessity of providing space for the movement of the charging slideover the pressing box. This space is, in the present types of machines,all lost motion and limits the output of said machines. To overcome thisdefect is one of the objects of the present invention which isaccomplished by flexibly securing a filling block to the forward end ofthe charging slide, said block moving with the slide and being broughtover the pressing box to nearly fill the space between the same and theabutment or compressing head.

Another object of the invention is to improve the pressing box byproviding the same with a hinged side arranged to be openedautomatically when the pressing box descends, a latch means for holdingsaid side closed and means actuated by the descending pressing box todisengage the latch means from the swinging side, said disengaging meansbeing controlled by the movement of the pressing box.

l/Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described indetail and pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had tothe ac companying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side view of theimproved cake forming machine, the parts being in position to startcompression. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same viewed from the left ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the parts in position todeposit a charge of material into the pressing box. Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2 showing the pressing box elevated and compressing acake. Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged detail views of the latch mechanism asseen from the front of the machine in different positions. Figs. 7 and 8are like views of the latch mechanism as seen from the side of themachine, showing the manner of actuating said mechanism. Fig. 9 is aplan view of the pressing box.

In the drawings, 10 indicates a .bed plate, on one end of which ismounted a vertically disposed cylinder 11 containing a piston 12extending through the upper head of the cylinder and supporting apressing box 13 into whiohis deposited from a charging box 14, formingone end of a slide 15, the material to be formed and lightly pressedinto a cake. Above the pressing box 13 and supported on columns 16 orotherwise is a head 17, on the underside of which depends an abutment orpressure block 18 which cooperates with the pressing box 13 to compressthe material in said box. Fastened on the bed plate 10 next the cylinder11 is ,an open frame 19 over which the slide 15 7 travels to and fromthe pressing box 13 when actuated by a piston in a'cylinder 2O carriedon the frame. Guides 20 bolted to the frame 19 on each side of theslide, direct the slide in its movement in a straight line. Steam foroperating the piston 12, is admitted into the cylinder 11 through avalve 21 operated by a hand lever 22, and into the cylinder 20 through asuitable valv e, not

shown, under the control of a hand lever 23 through a connecting rod 24.

Above the slide 15 and behind the head 17 is a hopper 25 into which themeats? or prepared oleaginous seeds or other material is deposited torun into the charging box 14 at the forward end of the slide when thelatter is drawn rearwardly as in Fig.1,"

the lower end of the hopper terminating cake forming machines now ingeneral use,-

but instead of using a pressing box having a front side and a rear sideonly, and a long press cloth hanging down from the ends of the box, apress box closed on four sides is employed with two short press cloths.Furthermore in the old machines the ends of the press cloths arelap-folded over the material in the pressing box and the latter elevatedto the abutment or pressure block 18 which enters the box and compressesthe material; after which the box returns to its former position. Thetravel of the pressing box through the space provided for the chargingbox consumes an appreciable amount of time which in the aggregate,limits the speed of the machine. To overcome this loss of time, or lostmotion of the pressing box, means are provided for filling the spaceleft vacant by the retreat of the slide 15 and thus greatly reduce thetravel of the pressing box and increase the output of the machine.

For the purpose described, two horizontal rails 26, which may be ofangleiron, are bolted one on each side of the abutment 18 and project ina forward direction parallel to each other for a suitable distance,their outer ends being supported in any manner as by posts 27. Mountedto slide on the rails 26 is a filling block 28 of a size to enter thepressing box 13-which in this instance has four sides, one of them 29being preferably hinged and held closed byalatch, as hereinafterdescribed. The front side of the I charging box 14 and the rear side ofthe filling block are connected by any approved linkdevice 30 wherebythe block may have a A limited vertical play independent of the chargingbox. When,'therefore, the slide is moved forward to bring thecharging'box over'the pressing box, the filling block will, through itsconnection therewith, be pushed along the rails 26 toward the posts 27The return movement of the slide and charging box draws the fillingblock 28 over the pressingbox 13, thus practically closing the spaceoccupied by the charging box. The bottom of the block is separated fromthe pressing box by a narrow space, about onehalf inch wide, to permitthe insertion of a short press cloth 31 within the box before theadvance of the charging box, and'on its retreat to enable a second shortcloth 32 being placed over the contents of the pressing box.

Steam being admitted to the cylinder 11, the pressing box rises and thefiller block entering the same is carried into contact with the abutment18 a very short distance above said block which latter compresses thematerial in the pressing box into a cake. The pressing box is thenreturned to its lowermost position, the filling block following untilarrested by the rails 26 from which it was raised a short distance. Thethickness of the cake being less than that of the material beforecompression, there is left. a space between said cake and the bottom ofthe'filling block which enables the latter to be removed quickly fromthebox.

The pressing box 13, shown in detail in Figs. 5 to 9, is rectangular inshape, closed at its front side 33 and rear side 34 and preferablyclosed at one end 35, the opposite end being provided with a pivotedside 29"designed to be opened for removing the cake, and when closed,fastened by an automatically operated latch. The side 29 is pivotallymounted on a pin 36. inclined slightly from theovertical and away fromthe box so that when unlatched, the side will swing open by gravity.Projecting from the free end of the side 29 are two lugs 37 which areengaged when the side is closed by two latch hooks 38 pivoted on therear side of the pressing box 13 and pre vented from swinging laterallyby a keeper 39 overlying said latches, a spring 40 holds each latch inengagement with one of said lugs 37. Projecting outwardly from theuppermost latch hook is a pin '41, the purpose of which will bedescribed later.

Pivotally mounted on a fixed support,"say the base 10, is an uprightlever 42, normally held close to the latch hooks by a spring 43 as shownin Fig. 7, which lever extends upwardly a suitable distance and has ashort pin or stud 44 projecting inwardly near its upper end. Below thepin 44 and just above the cylinder 11 the lever 42 is provided with alug 45, the upper edge 46 of which is beveled or inclined as shown. Thelength of the lever is such that when the pressing box is in itselevated position, see

from the upper latch hook 38, the lever itself under theforce ofjthespring 43 lying Y latch hook 38 into contact with the top of the lever42 and the lower latch hook into contact with the pin or stud 44. 011the lever. Continued downward movement arrests the latch hooks which arethereby disengaged from the lugs 87 on the pivoted side 29 of thepressure box and the latter is partly thrown open by a spring 47 andcompletely opened by gravity due to the angular disposition of the hingepin 36. About the time the latch hooks are disconnected from the lugs37, the bottom of the pressing box strikes the beveled portion of thelug 45 which swings the lever 42outwardly, thus disengaging the latchhooks which immediately fall to their normal position ready to engagethe lugs on the swinging side 29 as soon as the latter is closed. Thelever 42 is held in its outward position by the pressing box, as shownin Fig. 8, until the next elevation of said box when the latter releasesthe lug a5 and the lever is swung inwardly below the latch hooks byspring &3 in position to engage said hooks on the next descent.

After the hinged side of the pressing box has been opened and said boxcomes to rest in its lowermost position, the pressed cake is removedtherefrom by means ofa thin fiat sheet of steel called a pan, which isslipped under the lower sheet of the press cloth, and the cake removedfrom the machine. There is more or less tendency for the press cloth tobecome rumpled or crumpled as the pan is pushed under the cake, but toprevent disarrangement of the cloth, the pan pusher, as he is called,grasps the cake with one hand and gradually lifts it as the pan ispushed under the cake. To enable the pan pusher to grasp the cakefirmly, a notch 50 is made in the bottom of the pressing box 011 itsopen side for the thumb of the operator, while the fingers of the samehand grasp the cake and lift the same as the pan is pushed under. Toprevent the material and cloth from entering the notch 50, a lug 51projects from the swinging side in position to enter the notch 50 whenthe side is closed.

It will be evident that while it is preferred to connect the fillerblock flexibly to thecharger box, this is not absolutely necessary. Itwill also be evident that while it is desirable to have the bottom ofthe filler block about one half inch above the top of the pressing boxin its lowermost position for one class of service, for other classes ofservice it will'be desirable that this clearance at times be greater orless. It will furthermore be evident that the hinged side of the boxneed not necessarily open by gravity.

What I claim is: v

1.. 111 a machine of the character de scribed, the combination with apressing box, an abutment cooperative therewith, and a movable chargingbox for said pressing box, of a filling block adapted to be movedbetween the pressing box and the abutment as the charging box iswithdrawn from above the pressing box.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with areciprocating pressing box, an abutment cooperative therewith, and amovable charging box for said pressing box, of a filling block adaptedto be moved between the pressing box and the abutment as the chargingbox is with drawn from above the pressing box.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination with apressing box, an abutment cooperative therewith, and a movable chargingbox for said pressing box, of afilling block flexibly connected to saidcharging box and adapted to be drawn between said pressing box and theabutment as the charging box is withdrawn therefrom.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination with apressing box, an abutment cooperative therewith to compress the materialin said pressing box, and a slidable charging box for delivering thematerial to the pressing box, of a filling block connected to saidcharging box and adapted to be drawn in between the pressing box and theabutment as the charging box is withdrawn from above said pressing box,said filling block adapted to enter the press ing box and compress thematerial therein.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination with apressing box, an abutment cooperative therewith to compress material insaid pressing box, and a slidable charging box for delivering materialto the pressing box, of a filling block flexibly connected to saidcharging box and adapted to be drawn between said pressing box and theabutment as the charging box is withdrawn therefrom, said filling blockadapted to enter the pressing box and compress the material therein.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination with apressing box having a side which can be opened and closed, an abutmentcooperative therewith, and amovable chargingbox for said pressing box,of a filling block adapted to be moved between said pressing box and theabutment as the charging box is withdrawn therefrom.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination with avertically moving pressing box, an abutment cooperative therewith tocompress the material in said pressing box, and a slidable charging boxfor delivering the material to the press ing box, of a filling blockmounted upon ways and adapted to be moved between said pressing box andthe abutment when the charging box has been withdrawn therefrom, andmeans for moving said filling block.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination with apressing box, an abutment cooperative therewith to compress material insaid pressing box, and a slidable charging box for delivering materialto the pressing box, of a filling block mounted upon ways and adapted tobe moved between said pressing box and the abutment, and a flexibleconnection between the charging box and the filling block for moving thelatter.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination with apressing box, an abutment cooperative therewith to compress material insaid pressing box, and a slidable charging box for delivering materialto the pressing box, of a filling block mounted upon ways and adapted tobe moved between said pressing box and the abutment to substantiallyfill the space between said parts and enter the pressing box duringcompression to act on the material therein, and a flexible connectionbetween the charging box and the filler block.

10. In a machine of the character de scribed, a pressing box having ahinged side adapted to swing open by gravity, a latch device for holdingsaid side closed, pivoted means for disengaging the latch device from ithe hinged side, and means on said pivoted means actuated by themovement of the pressing box for moving the pivoted means into and outof operative position.

11. In a machine of the character de scribed, a pressing box having aside hinged on a pivot inclined from the vertical to cause said side toopen by gravity, a latch device for holding said side closed, means forautomatically disconnecting said latch device after compression topermit the hinged side to open, and a filling block adapted to be movedover said pressing box I a short distance above and in position to enterthe same. 7

12. In a machine of the character described, a vertically movablepressing box having three of its sides fixed and one side hinged on apivot inclined from the vertical to cause said side to open by gravity,a latch 7 device for holding said side closed, a lever 7 force the leveraway from the latch device and permit the latter to engage the side whenclosed and to hold said lever away until the ascent of the pressing boxcarries the latch device above the lever.

13. In a machine of the character described, a vertically movablepressing box having three ofits sides fixed and one side hinged on aninclined pivot to cause it to open by gravity, a spring to start theopening of said side, a latch device for holding said side closed, alever for disengaging said latch device, and means operated by themovement of the pressing box to carry said lever out of the path oftravel of the latch device and so hold it during a portion of theascending movement of the pressing box.

14:. In a machine of the character described, a vertically movablepressing box having a side which can be opened and closed, a thumb notchin the end of the bottom of the box, and a lug on said side to fit intosaid thumb notch when said side is closed.

scribed, a pressing box having a hinged side, a latch device for holdingsaid side closed, pivoted means for disengaging the latch device fromthe hinged side, and means on said pivoted means actuated by themovement of the pressing box for moving the pivoted means into and outof operative position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

NIMROD WV. L. BROWN.

Witnesses .I. T. MGGEHEE, T. M. RANDOLPH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of I'atents.

Washington, I). C. i

85 15. In a machine of the character de- 1

